A Valentine in Three Acts
by Kathmak
Summary: Three different Valentine's Days in the lives of John Doggett and Monica Reyes. DRR fluff all the way.
1. Chapter 1

"**A Valentine in Three Acts"**

**by Kathmak**

_Valentines Day 2002:_

His hand trembles slightly as he slides the pink-tinged envelope onto the center of her desk. He places the card and a single red rose right next to her coffee cup where she is sure to see it. If there's one predictable thing about Monica, it's that she never starts out her work day without a cup of the strong stuff. No decaf for her.

She strides into the office moments later, her eyes immediately drawn to the foreign items on her desk.

"What's this?" she asks softly.

He doesn't answer. He has his nose is buried in a case file, pretending to concentrate on the latest X-Files du jour. He's trying hard not to watch her because it would be too painful to see any sign of rejection in her reaction. The silence is interminable until he dares to sneak a glance at her.

She is grinning as she looks over at him. "Yes," she says quietly.

He stands up and nervously clears his throat. "Yes?" He echoes.

_One can never have too much reassurance, you know._

"Yes, John" she nods, "I will have dinner with you tonight. On one condition, though . . . "

_Uh oh here it comes_, he thinks, preparing for the dreaded 'let's be friends' speech.

But nothing of the sort comes out of her mouth. Instead she walks toward him and takes both of his hands in hers. He catches a whiff of her perfume and it makes him dizzy with longing.

"What's the condition?" he croaks, still trying to process this wonderful turn of events.

Monica gives his hands a little squeeze. "That you'll kiss me."

His heart skips a beat. No, make that two beats.

"Now? Right here at work?" He looks around furtively as if there were hidden cameras recording their every move.

"Yes, right here. I don't care who sees us." Her tone is almost defiant. "I've been waiting a long time for a kiss from you, John Doggett, and I'm not going to let anything get in my way now."

Almost immediately the tension in his body dissipates and he feels free: free to make the move he should've made a long time ago. They share their first kiss, and then their second, and he wonders what the hell took them so long. Monica slides her arms around his waist and he pulls her close.

"Wow," she whispers breathlessly.

"You can say that again."

She adds coyly, "there's more where that came from, you know."

Doggett feels almost faint with the promise of things to come. "Happy Valentine's Day, Monica."

She beams and he kisses her again.

End


	2. Chapter 2

"**A Valentine in Three Acts"**

A/N: This is part two of my Valentine's Day trilogy. Many thanks to those kind folks who reviewed the first part. -_Kathmak_

_Valentines Day 2003_

His hand trembles slightly as he reaches for the lamp on his night stand.

He's nervous about asking her: that's why he didn't do it over dinner as he had originally planned. A small part of him is afraid she'll say no, even though she has never given him any logical reason to think that. Quite the contrary, in fact. But still, there is that irrational bit of insecurity that he can't quite shake: a vestige of his lonely life before Monica came into it and rescued him from his solitude.

He flips on the light and attempts to open the drawer quietly so as not to wake her, but it creaks a little as he tugs on its handle.

Her eyes flutter open, and he quickly retrieves the small box from its hiding place, stashing it surreptitiously under his pillow for the time being.

"What time is it?" Monica asks sleepily.

He touches her lightly on the cheek. "It's late. Go back to sleep, sweetheart."

She yawns. "You really know how to wear a girl out, John." She curls her body into him and he feels himself melting. "Thank you for tonight. That restaurant was so romantic. I had a wonderful time."

"Me too." His hands rest gently on her lower back and an intense feeling of peace steals over him. "That dress you wore was somethin' else."

"Liked it, huh? I wore it just for you." Monica's right hand wanders down to his bare hip where it lingers.

He inhales deeply, and he finds himself becoming aroused all over again. This is a predictable response to the warmth of her touch.

"Although I think I like the dress much better when it's layin' on the back of the chair," he adds with a growl.

Monica giggles. "Do you realize it was a year ago today that you first asked me out?" she murmurs into his chest.

He smiles at the memory. "Thank God you said yes. I don't know what I would've done if you'd broken my heart."

"Never," she rebukes him gently. She sits up and looks him in the eye. "Never in a million years would I hurt you. I've loved you for so long. I always will."

His grip on her body tightens just a little. As she tilts her head to kiss him squarely on the mouth, he thinks for the millionth time that his fear of rejection is ridiculous and unfounded. Only now, he actually feels convinced of it.

His lips are still on hers as he slips one hand under his pillow and grabs the box from its temporary hiding place. He is breathless as he pulls his head back, gently breaking the kiss.

"Monica, I want to make a life with you," he finally says.

"You _do_ have a life with me, John. We're practically living together now."

He swallows, nervously looking down as he opens his hand to reveal the box in his palm. "Yeah, but I was hopin' for something a little more permanent."

John snaps the box open and Monica gasps as the realization hits her.

She stares at the diamond ring. "Oh John," she whispers, still in shock.

"Marry me, Monica."

He watches her face for an answer. When a single tear streams down her cheek, he feels confident enough to slip the ring on her finger. She gazes at it for a moment as if in a trance. Then, the tears begin to flow in earnest.

She throws her arms around him and kisses him on the temple. "Yes, yes! A thousand times yes!" Her voice is strong and sure.

John closes his eyes and says a silent prayer of thanks. "The best is yet to come," he says.

Monica pulls him down onto her and they make love again.

End


	3. Chapter 3

"**A Valentine in Three Acts"**

A/N: This is part three of my Valentine's Day trilogy, albeit a bit late. Thanks again for the prior reviews. -_Kathmak_

* * *

_Valentines Day 2004_

Her hand trembles slightly as she unlocks the front door and slips inside the house. As she tosses her leather jacket onto the coat tree in the hallway, her mind races in a dozen different directions, and she feels slightly overwhelmed by thoughts of what lay ahead for her and John.

She replays in her mind what had transpired just an hour earlier in her doctor's office, and she thinks again about what John's reaction will be when he hears the news. They had talked about starting a family, of course. What newly-married couple wouldn't? Monica's heart beats a little faster and she starts to worry that perhaps it is all happening too soon. They'd had barely been married six months, after all.

Then a conversation popped into her head: she remembered something John had said to her even before they had taken their wedding vows. He had told her that, although Luke would always be in his heart, he wanted to be a father again. And he had looked into her eyes and kissed her and said that he wanted her to be the mother of his children.

"Someday, I want you to have my babies, Mon," he had said shyly.

Monica grins happily at the recollection and relaxes a little.

So they were having a baby.

She runs upstairs and hastily changes her clothes, opting for a pair of baggy blue sweat pants and one of John's grey t-shirts. John had suggested they go out for dinner to celebrate their first Valentine's Day as a married couple, but Monica had politely declined. She suspected that she would have some special news to share with her husband, and she wanted to be alone with him tonight.

When she told him that she would be more than happy with take-out Chinese food and sparkling grape juice, he had looked at her a little quizzically. But, she had insisted and John relented.

"Whatever Monica wants, Monica gets," he had remarked with a bemused smile.

Little did he know that soon they were both going to get what they had wanted for so long. The butterflies in her stomach start fluttering wildly again, but now she was anything but fearful.

On her way back downstairs she pauses briefly in front of the bedroom mirror and turns to the side, touching her now flat abdomen. She lifts her t-shirt a few inches above her waistline and tries to imagine how her body will look over the coming months as their baby grows inside her. Unlike some of her female friends, Monica wasn't at all worried about losing her slim figure. On the contrary – she was looking forward to experiencing all of the changes that pregnancy undoubtedly would bring. Besides, she had always been secure enough to know that John loved her for whom she was and not for how much she weighed. And for some reason, she suspected that he would be _even more _aroused by the sight of her bare, swollen belly – if such a thing was possible!

A few more minutes pass and she is still standing in the same place, trying to think of the best way to tell John that he is going to be a father. Then, Monica hears the front door open, and she listens for the comforting sound of his footsteps on the tile floor in the hall.

"Mon, you up there?" He calls out. "I come bearing gifts."

Monica pads down the stairs and pauses on the last step, taking a moment to bask in his presence. He is holding two dozen roses in one hand and a plastic bag filled with Chinese food in the other. She decides that John has never looked so adorable. She practically skips over to where he is standing and throws her arms around him.

She covers his face with kisses. "Happy Valentine's day, _Daddy_," she whispers, adding a little extra emphasis on the last word.

John's eyes grow wide and he drops the items in his arms. Oblivious to the fact that wonton soup is now saturating his shoes, he returns her embrace and holds onto her for dear life.

Monica relaxes in his arms and starts to giggle.

End


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